Disappearance of Indonesian jet baffling
`An hour after Adam Air Flight KI-574 took off on New Year’s Day with 102 passengers and crew for what should have been a short hop between islands, the pilot reported heavy winds. Then, the plane disappeared, seemingly into thin air.
Thousands of soldiers battled rugged jungle terrain, a fleet of aircraft took to the skies, and ships scoured the sea for a third day Thursday in a search of an area roughly the size of California.
By nightfall, there was still no trace of the missing Boeing 737, its six crew members and 96 passengers — including an Oregon man and his two daughters.
“It is kind of strange,” said Febrizal Lubis, a pilot for another Indonesian airline. “The plane was going along at 35,000 feet, and then with no mayday or distress signal, it disappeared like that.”‘
